By Brenda Kahn Senior Public Information Officer Metropolitan Transportation Commission & Bay Area Toll Authority You may not have heard of the character “La Mala Suerte,” but for tens of thousands of Hispanic American consumers, this comedic embodiment of bad luck is very familiar, and has become synonymous with Allstate Insurance. The gist of the Spanish-language […]

By Lisa Stockwell Impatient, distractible, no tolerance for ambiguity, adaptable, feedback junkies, influential, powerful, optimistic, open, visual, fearless. These are some of the words Kit Yarrow, clinical psychologist and professor at Golden Gate University, used to describe Generation Y at our March San Francisco Public Relations Round Table lunch. At 85 million strong and ranging from […]

Beverly Butler’s one-act play, Indelible, is part of a three week run at the Exit Theatre opening April 12. Produced by Wiley Productions and sponsored the last 13 years by the Playwrights Center of San Francisco, the evening of theatre is called Sheherezade. This is Butler’s second play to win a full production. Her play […]

By Elizabeth Risberg Walking into a bad situation is usually a PR person’s biggest nightmare. But for crisis communications pro Larry Kamer, tackling the issues surrounding City College of San Francisco’s “fall from grace” was a matter of course. “I’m the person who runs into burning buildings,” he noted. The beleaguered community college, which serves […]

“Most management and job failures are more or less communications failures. The ability to communicate is essential to business success.” Virgil Scudder, media trainer and CEO coach, entertained and educated his SF PRRT audience on January 22 with warmth and wit, providing tales from the trenches and offering his wisdom on effective communication. “Communication is […]

By John McDowell, Duane’s son Duane McDowell was a 1946 Journalism graduate of South Dakota State College (well, not really. He was a math class short. They mailed him a diploma in the 1950s after he started work for his state’s U.S. Senator!). At SDS he was editor of Collegian, the student newspaper. He also […]

Our Silent Auction committee, co-chaired by Hatti Hamlin and Whitney Greer, received 62 donations this year-the highest number of items in PRRT history! Asked their secret to success, Hatti gave the following advice: There’s no shame in asking ANYBODY to give. The cause is a great one (scholarships) and the group can truly be touted […]

Making their tenth appearance at the annual SF Public Relations holiday lunch, Phil Matier and Andrew Ross regaled party-goers with some of the escapades that made their San Francisco Chronicle column a must-read in 2012, including naked guys, strip clubs and with predictions of what some elected officials are likely to be up to in […]

by PRRT Chair Vivian Auslander I’m writing this column on 12-12-12, with lots of love and gratitude to everyone who has helped PRRT thrive this year. We’ve hosted wonderful monthly meetings where members and guests can escape briefly from their desks to schmooze with colleagues and hear from fascinating speakers. Along the way, we’ve awarded scholarships […]

In his talk to our group at our October lunch, Steve Falk, president and CEO of the San Francisco Chamber of Commerce, described the role of the chamber in city government. He gave an optimistic forecast for San Francisco that included: Continued growth in the tech sector Warriors arena approved New housing in Bayview San Francisco […]